Hull City are making serious headway. Six successive wins has seen the club move out of the relegation battle and into a very different kind of fight.

The Tigers now sit just four points off a play-off spot and the odds of the club being promoted are getting shorter by the week.

However, the picture City have forced their way into isn’t for the faint-hearted. These clubs at the top of the table are spilling over with talent and boast the best players in the country outside of the top flight. But who are the teams to beat and who will get promoted?

Firstly, it’s probably not the news that Hull City fans want to hear, but I expect Leeds United and Sheffield United to occupy the automatic promotion spots come the end of the season.

The Yorkshire pair appear the most complete of the teams at the top of the table and having seen both play lately, they only seem to be heading in one direction.

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Predicting the play-off spots becomes a little trickier. West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough appear to be dead certainties for the top six having been there from the start of the season and I don’t see them falling away any time soon.

Derby County may be many people’s tip to drop out of the play-off picture, particularly after being well-beaten by Leeds at Elland Road on Friday night after the now infamous ‘spygate’ drama.

However, one look at their squad depth is enough to convince me that they will be there or there abouts. On paper at least they have one of the best squads in the division with quality running deep, Tom Huddlestone, for example, struggles for a spot in the side.

That’s where I think City might fall short slightly if they are to miss out. Scratch beneath the surface ever so slightly at the KCOM Stadium and the squad lacks depth. Nigel Adkins knows he is only a few injuries short of his squad being stretched.

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Norwich City’s bubble seems to have burst. After nine wins in 11 games took them to the summit of the Championship, the Canaries are now without a win in four and I can’t see them being able to last the distance.

I expect Bristol City to pose a threat, but from this stage I think Nottingham Forest are the biggest threat to the Tigers’ hopes of promotion.

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The Reds appointed Martin O’Neill on Tuesday to replace Aitor Karanka as manager and I’m expecting them to come good. They have a half decent squad and with that new manager bounce that I’m expecting them to have, I think they are more than capable of surging.

City still have a long way to go in order to prove they are capable to making it a season to remember but should they continue to take points off the teams around them in the table anything is possible.